Pavel Chekov had been sitting at his station, staring off into space for quite some time now.
"Chekov… Chekov!" Captain Kirk called to the Russian seventeen year old. The ensign jumped, slightly startled.
"S-sorry, keptin. I vas just… Thinking." Chekov stuttered, not really sure how to explain his brief slip into reverie to his captain.
"That's fine Chekov." Captain Kirk said, giving the boy a reassuring smile. To be honest the Captain had a soft spot in his heart for the youngster, but he'd never let him know it. "I just need you to track the coordinates of a transmission received earlier this morning."
"Yees keptin. Right avay, keptin." Pavel quickly started tapping away at the screen, tracking the transmission. This task was simple enough that the ensign could continue to let his mind wander back to the object of his reverie earlier. He just couldn't help it. This time of year always made him think of Russia. That beautiful artic wilderness that he called home and the people back there who he had left behind. His mother, his father, his brothers, all of them absolutely ecstatic and completely supportive of him heading off to join star fleet at such a young age. But there was one person who was not happy to see him go. And now, he couldn't help but wonder if she was still thinking about him right now.
He could almost see her face if he focused hard enough. Her long brown locks, slightly wavy, not as curly as his own sandy hair. Her eyes, such a vibrant blue that the oceans would feel inadequate in their coloring. Her skin, beautifully pale, but her cheeks carrying that adorable redness that made it look like she was constantly blushing. Everything about her made a smile spread across his face. He took a deep breath in and almost could smell her perfume.
As the computer processed the data that he input, he let his mind wander to the night that he had left. That exciting and wonderful yet completely heart breaking night that still lingered in his dreams, and sometimes nightmares.
The girl was bundled up tightly to try and protect herself from the rather harsh weather that was raging about her. Normally she would not have been out while it was snowing like this, but she had to see him just one more time before he left to try and change his mind. A shiver went down her spine as the winds changed direction and started blowing directly at her. She wasn't sure how much longer she would be able to wait there in that weather. She hoped he would show up soon.
It seemed as soon as she wished this, she heard footsteps in the snow coming from behind her. She quickly spun around to see the curly haired prodigy trudging toward her, fighting against the harsh winds. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. He responded by wrapping his arms around the thin frame of the girl and holding her close. Gently, he kissed her forehead, and she began to cry which only made him hold her tighter. For quite a while they stood like this. No words were needed. It seemed as if the pair could read each other's minds. Finally the girl spoke.
"Pawel… I don't vant you to go."
"I'm so sorry Anja… I heef to. My family needs me to go, ve desperately need ze money." He explained to her, hoping that this would ease the pain, knowing that it wasn't his choice to leave her.
"Zen I will ask my fazer to help your family. He vill be more zan happy to help, I'm sure-" She stared saying.
"Anja. You know zat vill newer vork." He told her looking her directly in the eye. This only caused her to start crying all over again.
"I just can't bear ze thought of losing you. Vat if you get hurt or keeled out on a mission? How vill I ewer live vithout you?" She asked through sobs. At this Pavel lifted her chin and kissed her. At first Anja was shocked. The two of them knew of their feelings for one another, but never had they acted upon them. This was their first kiss, and possibly their last, so they both savored every moment of it. It was perfect, innocent, passionate, romantic. Everything one would dream of in a first kiss. When the moment ended They just stared into one another's eyes.
"I lowe you Anja." Pavel said, putting all of his feelings into every single word of that sentence.
"I lowe you Pavel." Anja replied. "Zat is why it keels me to see you go." Pavel gave her a sweet smile.
"I vill newer be too far avay. If you miss me too terribly just look up at ze stars and know zat I am out zere somevere sinking of you." He whispered, so that –even though there was no one around to hear them for at least a mile –only she could hear him. Anja nodded, holding back even more tears. Then, as the wind shifted directions once more, a shiver ran through the fragile girl's body once again. The two of them chuckled a little bit. Russians were always thought to be impervious to cold, but on days like these, it affected them just as much as any other human being.
"I forgot my scarf." Anja explained, motioning to her neck.
"Vell zen, you vill just hawve to take mine." Pavel said, unwinding the scarf from around his neck and securing it around Anja's. "Somezing to remind you of me venewer you get lonely." He said with a smile. She touched the scarf gently, almost as though she wasn't one hundred percent sure that it was actually there.
"But how vill you remember me?" She asked, honestly concerned that the boy would forget her. Pavel bit his lip and gave the question a good amount of thought before answering.
"Vell, you vill just hawve to give me somezing to remind me of you." He said very matter of factly stretching his hand out, awaiting some token of her affection. Anja stared at him for a moment trying to figure out exactly what this should be. And then it struck her. She reached behind her neck and fiddled with something before finally undoing it and placing it gently in the palm of his outstretched hand. Pavel looked down at what she had given him, and saw that it was the pendant that she had always worn around her neck on that fragile golden chain that carried her family's crest on it.
"Oh, Anja… I can't take zis! It's your Great Great Great Grandmozer's!" He cried, shocked that she would even offer it to him.
"Vell zen, you vill just hawve to make sure you come back so you can return it to me." She said with a smile on her face.
"I promise I vill." He told her, taking her hands in his. "Zis vill not be ze last time ve see one anozer." He promised.
Finally the results from the transmission showed up on his screen, and he dutifully reported them to his captain. Absentmindedly, he pulled a necklace out from under the collar of his shirt and looked down at it, some of the color glistening beautifully in the ship's light. Sulu gave the young ensign a curious glance.
"What's that in your hand?" He asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Oh zis? It's just somezing zat I hawve to return to someone. Somezing I promised I vould look after for zem." He told the pilot, a smile slowly spreading across his face as he looked out to the stars.